Just when things were starting to look up in the NHL Lockout saga, they now look just as bleak as ever. After the latest debacle in New York this weekend, Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby, the most recognizable name in the NHL, is mulling a stint in a European League. According to an Associated Press report (via ESPN.com), Crosby felt "disappointed" after labor talks broke down this weekend. Per the story, Crosby, who was part of the negotiations in New York, thought things were going well until Gary Bettman's disenchanted press conference on Thursday. The commissioner scoffed at the notion that the two sides were close, offering the following pessimistic sentiment:
The characterization that I’ve just heard transmitted to us that we were close, that reminds me of the last time the union said we were close and we were a billion dollars apart. Spinning us all into an emotional frenzy over maybe we’re close and we’re going to be playing hockey tomorrow is terribly unfair to our fans and it’s unfair to this process.
Having heard those words from the Commissioner, Crosby has set his sights on a league that is playing games right now––specifically one of the leagues in Europe. "I just want to play hockey," Crosby declared after working out with some teammates. "As far as whatever option is best there, I'll start thinking of it a lot more because this stuff is getting ridiculous."

The fact that Crosby, the league's most marketable commodity, might be giving up on the process represent a new nadir in the labor negotiations. It sends a message to die-hards and casual fans alike that things are either moving in the wrong direction, or not moving at all. This is the NHL's second lockout in eight years; they canceled the entire season in 2004-05. And if more high-profile players follow Crosby's lead by heading to Europe, we could be seeing more of the same in 2012-13.